Reference to any prior art in the specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that this prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in Australia or any other jurisdiction or that this prior art could reasonably be expected to be ascertained, understood and regarded as relevant by a person skilled in the art.
Monogastric animal diets generally include nutrients for the growth, reproduction and health of an animal. These nutrients may take the form of proteins and amino acids, carbohydrates, fats, minerals and vitamins. “Macronutrients” are generally understood as meaning those components of a diet that provide the bulk of energy and protein for metabolism. These components are generally proteins, carbohydrates, fats and oils and fibre. “Micronutrients” generally provide the necessary cofactors for metabolism to occur. These components are generally minerals, vitamins, and amino acids. As an example, poultry diets are composed primarily of a mixture of several feedstuffs that contain macro-nutritive components, examples of which include cereal grains, soybean meal, animal by products (such as blood and bone), fats and micro-nutritive components, including mineral and vitamin premixes. Another micro-nutritive component, anhydrous betaine has also been used as a source of methyl groups.
Other non nutritive components may be added to an animal diet for a variety of purposes. Examples include pigment (such as xanthophyll), growth factors, anti-microbial agents and enzymes. One enzyme having increasing usage is phytase. Phytase is used, particularly in pork and poultry farming as a feed additive for the purpose of releasing phosphate that is bound to dietary phytate. Some of these non nutritive components may assist in the growth performance improvements and efficiency of feed utilisation.
In some countries, non-nutritive components may be combined and sold as a pre-mix formulation to a stock feed producer, who then mixes the pre-mix with nutritive components (for example grain), thereby forming a finished animal feed product that is sold to a farmer or animal producer. Alternatively, the pre-mix formulation may be sold directly to a farmer or animal producer who will then mix the pre-mix with nutritive components to form an animal feed for feeding to his stock. Sometimes these pre-mix formulations may be referred to as “feed concentrates” or “feed additive mixes.’
The nutritive and non-nutritive components of animal feeds are a significant input cost in the farming of monogastric animals. As an example, the prices in the poultry meat market are currently high due to high prices for feed grains.
One problem is that a reduction in nutritive components, which might minimise costs of one or more nutritive inputs, in the absence of appropriate adjustments to an animal diet, can deleteriously impact on growth performance. Further, while adjustments that reduce the amount of nutrient components might be overcome by provision of non nutritive components that improve efficiency of feed utilisation, these non nutritive components may simply represent another input cost.
There is a need to adapt animal feed so as to minimise higher input costs, including input costs relating to nutritive and/or non nutritive components, as this would increase profitability of livestock production.